In a first of its kind initiative, Delhi Municipal Councillors were today sensitized about the need for care and protection of young children especially those under the age of five years dwelling in urban slums.
The Councillors also pleged to work collectively to create safe spaces for young children at Delhi slums and urban poor settlements.
The event, organised by 'Neenv', a network of 40 organizations, was attended by Deputy Mayor-North Delhi, 13 Councillors, representatives from Child Welfare Committees and Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
All the councillors, realising the importance of the issue, said they would pay special focus in the implementation of the existing schemes (anganwadi center cum creches under re-structured Integrated Child Development Services) and other government programs.
Councillors were also acquainted with tragedies of families which included tale of an 18-month-old child who fell into an open drain and drowned when his parents were out to work.
Thinking that a doll has fallen into the drain, few local children rescued him, only to find that it was a baby boy.
KK Singh, a Neenv member, said that 93 per cent women work in unorganized sector and have no arrangements for care of their children.
Ravinder Gupta, the Deputy Mayor from North Delhi invited the group to meet him with their problems and expressed the need of the civil society's guidance to handle the issue.
